The birth of an actor

Chapter 3 Are Actors Fun?

Faced with Fan Bing's question, An Xin suddenly waved her hand:

"What shamanic disciple? Don't talk nonsense."

After nudging Na Shun to signal him not to talk nonsense, An Xin didn't give a direct answer to the girl who was full of curiosity.

Fan Bing seemed to realize that An Xin didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't ask any further questions.

Instead, He Xiuqiong stared at An Xin's features and asked in a tone of surprise:
"Did you take the college entrance exam?"

"……Yes."

Anxin smiled and nodded.

Then Shun said something from the other side:
"He'll be a college student this September!"

He shouldn't have said that; as soon as he did, Batu's eyes widened in surprise:
"How dare you say that? And you? He was able to skip grades and get into university, but what about you? When will you stop being last in the class?!"

"..."

Na Shun looked embarrassed and quickly picked up his cup:
"Dad, let's drink, let's drink..."

"That's right, Uncle, don't be angry. I'll tutor him in a bit."

Hearing his nephew's words, Batu's chest heaved twice before finally letting out a helpless sigh.

What can be done?
My son isn't cut out for studying.

Ugh……

The topic was just brought to a halt.

The following discussion revolved around the rental of horses.

An Xin finally understood. The "Princess Pearl" production team was still in its early stages, and this trip was just for location scouting. The team would start preparations after returning home, and filming would likely begin at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

The old man was speechless when he heard this.

He thought the crew was about to start filming, but it turned out they had only just begun preparations.

Everyone present, including An Xin after her rebirth, felt the same way. An Xin even couldn't understand why it had taken so long to prepare—half a year…

But... perhaps this is the reason why "My Fair Princess" became so popular?

Is it because the preparation time is long that the production quality is better?
The problem is, looking back now, this show wasn't particularly well-made...

He was speechless.

But in the end, Batu still offered a very favorable price.

One horse, fifty dollars a day.

You could say this price is very reasonable.

More than a hundred horses, used for a day, only cost five or six thousand, which is more than the price of tourist attractions in later generations.

After dinner, the crew continued chatting. Na Shun and An Xin helped tidy up the table before going out to herd the horses.

At midday, when the sun is scorching, the horses must be let out to go to the river.

After a flurry of activity, Na Shun, feeling the effects of the alcohol, decided to go back to his yurt to sleep. But when An Xin emerged from the yurt, he found Fan Bing standing outside, watching him from the meager shade.

"...is something wrong?"

With that reassurance in mind, Fan Bing nodded:
"May I ride a horse?"

"Now?"

Anxin looked up at the scorching sun, thought for a moment, then reached back and took the cowboy hat hanging on the door, handing it to her.

"Give."

"Hey, thanks."

The girl smiled happily and placed it directly on her head.

An Xin had to admit... although she hadn't fully blossomed yet and lacked the alluring beauty of later generations, she was still... quite remarkable.

It's just a cowboy hat, but it really makes the world seem to lose its color.

Upon seeing his gaze, the girl flashed a smug, bright smile:
"looks good?"

"Well, it's pretty good-looking."

Anxin withdrew her gaze and pointed to her black horse not far away:

"I'm taking Ado to get her fur groomed anyway, so I'll give you a ride for a bit."

"Okay."

With Fan Bing's agreement, An Xin blew the whistle.

The black horse, which was still munching on its fodder, looked up and immediately ran over when it saw Anxin.

"Can I do it myself?"

"I... I'm not really sure."

"fine."

Anxin gripped the reins and lifted his right shoulder:
"You hold my shoulders, step on this... yes, go!"

With a forceful push, the girl used the momentum to flip herself onto the horse. Unlike the horse's restlessness when He Xiuqiong mounted, A Duo barely reacted and kept rubbing her neck against Anxin's face.

"Haha, alright, alright... Come on, let's go brush your fur."

He picked up the bucket containing the scrubbing brush from the corner of the wall, led the horse, and headed towards the stream not far away with the girl.

Fan Bing was a little nervous at first, but as the horse moved forward, she gradually began to enjoy the unique experience.

Squinting, sniffing the scent emanating from the horse's back, she suddenly said:
“Ado doesn’t smell bad.”

"What do you mean?"

"I've ridden horses and carriages back in my hometown. They were always smelly..."

"It smells like horse manure, doesn't it?"

"Yes. A'duo doesn't have it..."

As she spoke, the girl leaned down and brought her nose close to the horse's back to sniff:

"Hmm, you can only smell something when you get close."

"That's just the smell of sweat. I brush and bathe it every day, so don't worry."

"hey-hey……"

The girl laughed, and after traveling a while longer to the rhythm of the horse's movement, she asked:

"You're not from Chifeng?"

"How do you know it?"

"Accent."

"...Do I have an accent?"

An Xin paused for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Does my sister have an accent?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

His rhetorical question, delivered in a thick Northeastern accent, made Fan Bing burst out laughing.

She looks to be in a great mood.

Where are you from?

"Fusong, do you know?"

"Never heard of it, where is it?"

"Jilin Province is quite close to Changbai Mountain."

"Oh, I know about Changbai Mountain. But I've never been there~ Are you a very good student?"

"good."

"Come on, aren't you 16? If you can get into university at 16, you must be a good student."

"...Then aren't you just asking a question you already know the answer to?"

"Well……"

After hearing Anxin's words, the girl paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter:

"Hehe, I'm just trying to start a conversation, otherwise it'll be so awkward if neither of us says anything... Hey, isn't that the river over there? You're going the wrong way."

"Didn't you want to ride a horse? I'll take you for a ride, and then I'll brush the horse's mane."

"oh oh."

Fan Bing nodded knowingly, while An Xin continued to lead the horse along the stream toward the herd.

After walking a few more steps, they suddenly heard the girl on horseback ask a question:
"Hey, you're quite good-looking. Have you ever considered becoming an actor?"

Anxin paused, turned her head, and glanced at the girl.

Beneath her cowboy hat, her large, expressive eyes gazed at him with intense curiosity.

Anxin thought for a moment and smiled:

"Why do you ask that?" "Because Director He has taken a liking to you."

"..."

An Xin was taken aback, not expecting her to be so direct, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Seeing An Xin looking at her, Fan Bing nodded:
"It's true, I can tell. She kept staring at you while we were eating, and when you were herding the horses just now, her camera was pointed at you the whole time... I think, in her eyes, you might be very suitable to be an actor... Besides, you look a lot like John Lone. Well... not exactly like John Lone, it's just that you two have a similar vibe. So, I guess she's got her eye on you."

"...?"

Anxin couldn't help but glance at her again.

I couldn't help but wonder... was she saying that on purpose to "please" me? Or... is this girl's mouth and brain separate?

After a moment's thought, he asked:
You figured it out?

"Yes."

"...So you specifically asked me to tell this?"

"Yes, because this opportunity is quite rare."

"why?"

"Because Director He has a very important background. She is Aunt Qiong Yao's daughter-in-law. She admires you so much. If you were an actor, you would definitely not have to worry about not having roles to play."

"So what you mean by telling me this is..."

Looking into the girl's bright, sparkling eyes, I asked her the question with a sense of entitlement and composure:
"This is an opportunity! Wouldn't it be a shame to miss it?"

"..."

An Xin was taken aback for a moment, then subconsciously asked in return:
"and then?"

"What then?"

"Uh... well... why are you telling me this?"

"I'm afraid you wouldn't understand."

The girl's eyes were filled with innocence.

It contains absolutely no impurities.

There was no ulterior motive, nor was there anything shady about it.

Riding on horseback, his eyes, bright as pearls beneath his cowboy hat, shared his understanding with Anxin.

"It's a rare opportunity to be noticed by a director like this; it's a dream come true for many aspiring actors. If you can seize it, don't miss it. Otherwise, you don't know how long you'll have to wait for the next opportunity."

However, she immediately remembered something and asked:

"By the way, are you taking the college entrance exam this year?"

"Ah."

"I saw on the news that college applications were being accepted a few days ago... What score did you get? Which university did you apply to?"

"587 points. I applied to Renmin University."

"...?"

Fan Bing was taken aback, as if she hadn't heard him clearly, and then said:
"What is that?...How much?"

Anxin shrugs:

"587 points. Yenching University, Renmin University of China." (Note 1)

"?????"

Fan Bing was even more bewildered.

What...what is that?

……

Is being an actor fun?

"……what?"

"I asked, is being an actor fun?"

At that moment, after Anxin finished asking the question while brushing Aduo's fur in the icy stream, a look of absurdity appeared on the girl's face:
"Why do you ask?"

"What's the word?"

Anxin was both amused and exasperated.

"Didn't you ask me in the first place? You asked me if I was interested in becoming an actor. I was quite interested, so that's why I asked you."

"...But you got into Renmin University! Why are you still asking this?"

Fan Bing's face was also full of absurdity.

If she had known which university the other person had been admitted to, she could have given them some pointers on how to become an actor... but how could she dare to now?

They are top students from a prestigious university in China!
Who am I?

He's not even a bad student.

She didn't even finish high school; she was just a nobody at an arts school. Facing a top student, she felt utterly inferior.

"Just curious."

Anxin's scrubbing brush made a "swish swish swish" sound, while Aduo's muscles trembled incessantly, clearly enjoying herself immensely.

How did you become an actor?

"Uh……"

Fan Bing opened her mouth, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.

But then a thought suddenly struck her, and she said:

"I'm not a formal actor yet."

"What do you mean?"

"...Do you know about Shanghai Normal University?"

"University?"

"Yes, university. Do you know Director Xie Jin?"

"I think I've heard this name before, but I can't remember who it is right now."

"He's very capable..."

The girl began to explain how accomplished the director was, and when he heard about his works, An Xin didn't recall the others. But when he heard about "The Herdsman," he immediately remembered a famous saying:

"Old Xu, do you want a wife or not?"

Is this the sentence?

Regardless, he understood from the girl's words that this Director Xie Jin was a very capable person.

So he nodded:
"Hmm, why bring him up?"

"I was a student at Xie Jin Star Academy, which he founded. Xie Jin Star Academy was affiliated with Shanghai Normal University, and it happened to be my year, which was last year. So... I'm actually a college student too, and I'm your senior."

"?"

Anxin was taken aback.

He genuinely knew nothing of this gossip, and his memories of Fan Bingbing were limited to her wearing a dragon robe on the red carpet, her famous "Master" title, and the subsequent events. He didn't know much else, so he didn't think much of it and laughed:
"Then should I call you senior?"

"...Hehe, okay."

Seeing that her argument had gained traction, Fan Bing felt inexplicably guilty, but she straightened her back a bit more.

So you haven't graduated yet?

"Yes, but art schools are different from universities; they don't require people to attend classes. That's why I came here when there was an audition opportunity."

"But isn't 'Princess Pearl' scheduled to premiere at the end of the year?"

"Yes, but it's the director's request. He wants to meet me. But I've already acted in a movie called 'Strong Woman,' playing a small supporting role. When it's released... hehe, I should be able to call myself a formal actor then."

"I thought 'My Fair Princess' was your debut work."

An Xin was telling the truth; he really did get to know Jin Suo through this drama.

Unfortunately, in his previous life, he wasn't very knowledgeable about the film and entertainment industry. The gossip he got was mostly from Weibo, the kind that was really big and always kept Old Wang from making the headlines. He didn't really know much about the industry.

After chatting for a while, the topic circled back to:
"So, is being an actor fun?"

"……do not know."

"You do not know?"

“Yeah, I only acted in one movie, so I don’t know if it was fun or not… But I was quite happy. Standing in front of the camera was really interesting, it’s like… how should I put it? You’re Anxin, but when you’re in front of the camera, you’re not Anxin anymore, you’re someone else. The character you’re playing is another person, and you’re speaking on their behalf, interacting with others…”

The girl began to talk non-stop.

She'd only acted in one play, and it was just a small role, but now...

Even peace of mind must be acknowledged.

The girl in the cowboy hat, sitting on the grass by the stream, was truly radiant.

That is the brilliance born when dreams become reality.

Anxin unconsciously felt a little dazed, and a question came to mind:
Has she, "once upon a time," long forgotten her current ideals and original aspirations after so many years?
(Note 1: I changed the name of Renmin University, don't take it too seriously.)
(End of this chapter)